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Early years

Richard Lawrence Ottinger was born in New York City, the son of businessman Lawrence Ottinger, founder of U.S. Plywood, and nephew of Albert Ottinger, the Republican Attorney General of New York from 1925 to 1928.

He served in the United States Air Force from 1955 to 1957, and was discharged as a captain. He was admitted to the New Yorkbar and practiced international and corporate law. He was one of the founders and the second staff member of the Peace Corps, serving as director of programs for the west coast of South America from 1961 to 1964.

Political career

1969, Congressional Pictorial Directory

In the 1964 election, he was elected as a Democrat to the 89th United States Congress and was re-elected twice. After the 1964 run, Ottinger was criticized for using a loophole in election laws to spend $193,000 of his own money to get around a limit of $8,000 in the race. He set up multiple committees and gave money of all of them. Most prominently, Ottinger's mother, Louise, and sister, Patricia Heath, had set up 22 different committees that in turn donated $6,000 apiece to his campaign.[1]

In 1972, he sought to return to his old congressional seat, but lost in a hotly contested election to Rep. Peter A. Peyser (R). His comeback effort was successful in 1974, when he was elected to the House of Representatives from a different district. He was re-elected to the four succeeding Congresses, retiring in 1985.

Family

Richard divorced his first wife, Betty Ann Ottinger, and later remarried to June Ottinger. He has 3 sons: Ronald, Randy and Larry; and one daughter Jenny.

Subsequent career

After retiring from Congress, Ottinger became a professor at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law,[1] founding an environmental law program there, and served as the law school dean from 1994 to 1999. He currently serves as Dean Emeritus.